Front Page News
by V. Shalyr
Summary: Aspiring journalist Kudou Shinichi has just received his strangest assignment yet—to report on the doings of mysteriously popular magician thief Kaitou KID. When he set out to make a career for himself, this was definitely not what he'd bargained for. A Story Collection from his not so everyday life. KaiShin
1. You're Hired

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed

**Summary**: Aspiring journalist Kudou Shinichi has just received his strangest assignment yet—to report on the doings of mysteriously popular magician thief Kaitou KID. When he set out to make a career for himself, this was definitely not what he'd bargained for. A collection of stories from his not so everyday life.

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi

**WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned **

* * *

**Front Page News**

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

**1. You're Hired**

The young woman lowered the papers onto her desk to examine her visitor with a thoughtful air. Her shoulder-length brown hair swung about her face as she glanced between his reference papers and his face, her sharp gaze seeming to catalogue his every feature. "Kudou Shinichi, right? Your father is that famous mystery novelist, yes?"

"Um, yeah." Scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment, Shinichi tried not to let his exasperation show at being mentioned in relation to his father yet again. It wasn't that he _minde_d exactly. It was just… Well, was it too much to ask for that he wanted to be known just as himself and not as the son of a world famous writer or a world famous actress? Most people had to work hard to be well known. It felt like he always had to work hard _no_t to be.

Across the polished wooden expanse of the office desk, his new boss smiled. "You might be just the one we're looking for then. I've been wanting someone with a flare for mysteries to take on a special assignment for my magazine."

A special assignment? Something about the way she'd said those words made Shinichi nervous, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. Maybe it was the gleam in her eyes. Suzuki Sonoko could have an overwhelming personality from what he'd heard.

"You'll start tomorrow. I'll get you all the details you need by then. I'm expecting great things from you."

And that was how Shinichi's first day at the _Moon Watc_h magazine began. It felt like he'd been ushered so quickly into and out of the chief editor's office that he hardly had time to register what the woman looked like. At least she seemed pleased with the new addition to her staff.

_Moon Watc_h was a fairly new magazine with a staff predominantly composed of new college graduates headed by the daughter of the owners of the huge Suzuki Corporation. Shinichi had stumbled upon the position almost purely by accident. Work hadn't exactly been easy to come by lately, but for once, luck had been on his side. He'd been having lunch with his childhood friend Mouri Ran when the matter of careers—or lack thereof—had come up. And it had turned out that Suzuki Sonoko was one of her closest friends. With Ran's referral and his parents' names, she'd agreed to see him right away. So maybe it did pay to have connections, even if he didn't always like to rely on them.

"So how did it go?"

Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Shinichi answered the other reporter with a shrug. The dark-skinned man had been sent to show him to the editor's office earlier that morning. "Honestly? I'm not sure what just happened. She seemed excited though. Something about a special project."

Hattori groaned. "I bet she wants to put you on the KID case."

"KID?"

At his puzzled inquiry, his fellow reporter looked at him as though he had lost his mind. "You have to be joking. Where've you been? Living under a rock?"

"Hey!" Shinichi protested, offended. "I've been really busy lately. Moving isn't exactly a walk in the park, you know."

Well actually, with his parents already owning a comfortable apartment in this city, there hadn't been all that much he'd had to do. The bulk of his stress had come from having to convince his parents not to help him—or to visit. The last thing he needed when moving to someplace new was his parents to decide to nose into his business. The last time they'd spent any "quality" family time together, he'd almost gotten a heart attack with everything they'd gotten up to. Being a great actress or a renowned writer didn't mean you were a great parent. It was times like that that made him wonder if _h_e was the only mature one in the family.

"Yeah, yeah. You've only missed the revival of the world's most annoying thief in our not so quiet little city. He's pulled off a dozen successful heists already in the past year. The police are going crazy and it seems like practically every girl around is in love with him—chief among them our dear boss. It's totally unfair."

Shinichi raised a bemused eyebrow. "I'm not sure I understand."

"Dude, he's a criminal! But according to the ladies, he's also a gentleman and irresistibly charming. Just goes to show how screwed up people's values are these days. Then there's the way he likes to drive the police insane with his pre-heist riddles. The man's a real menace, I tell you."

"You sound a bit jealous if you ask me," Shinichi observed. Though now he had to wonder what kind of man this thief was. While he wouldn't necessarily say mankind as a whole had all that much in the way of common sense, he also didn't think most people would be so shallow as to fall for a criminal just because he was charming.

Hattori snorted. "Jealous? Of course not! My best friend only ditched me to go watch one of his heists last month _an_d the month before that."

"Right."

Muttering under his breath at the amusement clear on his new coworker's face, Hattori changed the subject. "I'd better introduce you to the photographer you'll be working with. He's been on the KID case too since he transferred to our magazine. And man is he the worse for wear. Maybe _the_n you'll understand why KID's such a hazard."

The photographer in question had his desk in one corner of the main office, a huge room that had been divided up by open desks and a few cubicles for people who wanted a little more privacy. The first thing the journalists saw of him was his back as he hunched over something on the table in front of him.

"Hey, Hakuba, what's up?"

At Hattori's greeting, the man jerked up and spun around as though he'd been startled. Neat blond hair seemed a stark contrast to the dark circles under his eyes. The tension in his shoulders relaxed a little when he saw who it was.

"Hattori, I'm a little busy here."

Hattori rolled his eyes, moving around him to see what he'd been staring at with such trepidation. "So… Is that it?"

Hakuba grunted, his concentration returning to the seemingly innocuous, white envelope sitting on his desk. With careful precision, he pulled two pairs of tweezers from a drawer and poked it. When it failed to explode or make any other threatening movements, he carefully proceeded to use said tweezers to pull it open and extract the note.

_Okay_, Shinichi thought, now this was getting a little weird.

Three pairs of eyes stared down at the white card with its few lines of text, tied off with the doodle of a head wearing a magician's top hate and a monocle. Hakuba scanned the notice then let out a half resigned, half exasperated sigh, sinking back into his chair and resting an arm across his eyes. "Damn him, why couldn't he just be straightforward for once? I refuse to be made a fool of!"

"He doesn't need to do anything to make you seem like a fool," Hattori joked.

Removing the arm from across his eyes, the photographer glared. "Watch it, moron."

"Whatever, bastard. I was just going to introduce you to the new reporter on the KID case. Hakuba Saguru, this is Kudou Shinichi. Kudou Shinichi, meet Hakuba Saguru."

The two shook hands and Hakuba looked him over with a solemn, almost pitying expression.

"So this is Fujiwara's replacement? You poor soul. You have no idea what you've just gotten yourself into."

Well that was terribly reassuring. Just what _ha_d he missed not keeping up with the news on thieves? The answer appeared to be _a lot_.

"What happened to Fujiwara?" Shinichi asked cautiously.

"KID didn't like him," Hakuba informed him with utter seriousness. "He ran out of here screaming two weeks ago and handed in his resignation papers four days later."

That…sounded a little worrying. Did Shinichi even want to know why his predecessor had been screaming? "Um, but you're still around. Does that mean he's okay with you?"

Hakuba snorted. "Hardly. He doesn't like me either, but I survive."

Hattori sniggered. "With everything except your dignity."

This earned him another scowl. "I'd like to see you try my job. I bet you wouldn't last one heist."

"I bet I could beat you at your job any day."

"I'd like to see you try. Do you even _kno_w how to _operat_e a camera?"

"So is that his heist notice?" Shinichi interrupted the brewing argument, gesturing at the riddle scrawled across the note card on the table. Was he crazy to think that it looked interesting? He'd always loved riddles and puzzles growing up—the challenge of having to figure things out. It was one of the reasons he'd become a reporter. To put the different pieces of everyday life together and help people learn about the truth.

The photographer nodded. "He always sends a copy to every newspaper and magazine in the area as well as the local police station."

Pulling out his notebook, Shinichi began to copy down the riddle. "He sends it to the police station? Why would he do that?"

"Because he's _insane_," Hattori replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

And maybe it was except that Shinichi wasn't usually the type to just go for the most obvious answers like that. The answers to these kinds of mysteries, the kinds that involved the way master criminals thought, were rarely that straightforward. And this Kaitou KID was obviously a master at what he did if he drew this much attention to himself all the time and still managed to get away every time. If he was really going to be expected to report on these heists, he had a lot of research to do.

—Which his new editor had kindly provided for him, he discovered, upon being shown to what was going to be his new workspace.

Shinichi stared in drop-jawed astonishment at the stacks of file folders on the table. Apparently, when Hattori had told him that Sonoko was obsessed with this thief, he had not been exaggerating. The papers on his desk looked like everything that had ever been written about Kaitou KID—or, as he quickly found out, Phantom Thief 1412. And those were only two of the notorious thief's many names.

KID had first appeared in Paris more than twenty years ago and had pulled off numerous successful heists worldwide. His main target? Precious gems of all kinds, large and small and of every color imaginable. And yet for some reason, he always returned the jewels shortly after he successfully stole them. Over the years, he'd made off with billions of dollars worth of gemstones yet each of these were returned to their owners by the thief himself. It was only a matter of time. Then eleven years ago, the thief had suddenly disappeared from the world stage only to reappear eight years later and pick up exactly where he had left off. Police had thought it was a copycat at first with how many other thieves had tried to appropriate the phantom's infamous name. But it was always easy to ferret out the imposters, and after the first heist, the head of the Kaitou KID Taskforce Nakamori-keibu had confirmed that this was no fake.

Glancing from one of the most recent photos taken by Hakuba to one of the ones from just before KID's disappearance, Shinichi couldn't help but wonder if it could really be the same man. It didn't seem possible, but at the same time, the magician thief was known for his trickery and his ability to impersonate anyone he so chose well enough to fool even their closest friends and family. Compared to that, a slight modification in one's general form hardly amounted to anything.

Leaning back in his chair, Shinichi put a hand to his chin as he contemplated the information he'd just run through—a gesture he had picked up from his mother. The mystery of the story behind the Moonlight Magician… Well, at least this job wasn't going to be boring.

.

* * *

**AN**: This is a story collection, in other words, it's only going to have a loose plot and is never going to be listed as "complete". Stories also may or may not be in chronological order. Mostly, they probably will be, but be forewarned.

.


	2. First Impressions

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed

**Summary**: Aspiring journalist Kudou Shinichi has just received his strangest assignment yet—to report on the doings of mysteriously popular magician thief Kaitou KID. When he set out to make a career for himself, this was definitely not what he'd bargained for. A collection of stories from his not so everyday life.

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi

**WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned **

* * *

**Front Page News**

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

**2. First Impressions**

"Make sure you arrive at the museum early."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, securing the phone between his head and shoulder so he could finish making himself a cup of coffee. So what if it was noon on a Saturday? He loved his coffee, and frankly, he'd only just gotten out of bed not that long ago. One of the best things about living alone was that there wasn't anyone to disturb him on weekend mornings. He would never understand morning people. "How early?"

"The heist is supposed to start at midnight," Hakuba said, thinking aloud on the other end of the line. "So I'd plan to be there as early as eight, maybe seven."

"Why? That's five hours before he's even supposed to show up!"

"You don't want to have to fight your way through his fan club," the photographer said darkly. "But it's your call. I'll see you later."

Ominous warning delivered, he hung up. Pulling the phone away from his ear, Shinichi stared at it for a moment then set it on the counter with a shrug. Coffee first. Everything else could come afterwards.

He had only just sat down to enjoy his favorite drink and browse the newspaper when his phone rang yet again. With a sigh, he reluctantly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Shinichi! Sonoko told me you're going to the heist tonight."

Shinichi held the phone a little bit away from his poor ear. Ran really could be loud sometimes. "It would be kind of hard to write about it if I don't. She seemed to think I'd be the perfect person to write about Kaitou KID."

On the other end of the line, Ran couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. "And to think you refused all those times I tried to get you to go with me to one of his heists."

"What? You did?"

Ran rolled her eyes even though she knew he couldn't see it. This was one of the main reasons why they'd never managed to become more than friends. "Many times, Shinichi, honestly. So what did you think of the riddle? I know you love that sort of thing."

Remembering the heist notice, Shinichi smiled a little, his gaze wandering back to the papers beside his coffee mug. Information about the heist was all over the news. "I'm sure you saw that the police figured it out. They know where, when, and what the heist is going to be about."

"Yeah, but they also said the last two lines are still unclear."

"I have… some ideas."

"I knew it! So are you going to tell the police?"

It wouldn't be the first time that Shinichi had worked with the police on their cases. Crime solving had been something of a passion of his ever since he was little and read his first Sherlock Holmes book. He'd earned a reputation as a bit of a "weirdo" in high school for writing articles all the time on local murder cases. It was a good thing he'd never put too much stock in other people's opinions.

"…No."

"What? But why not?"

"Hey, I'm a journalist! I want to talk to the guy. I'm not going to get a chance to do that if there are police swarming all over the place."

"And that's the _onl_y reason?"

"Honestly? I kind of want to meet this guy, see what kind of person he is. The last few lines of the heist notice… Well, they're just interesting. I don't think he's like any other thief I've ever heard of."

Ran sighed. Sometimes, she didn't think she'd ever understand him. "As long as you know what you're doing, I guess. Just be careful, all right?"

"Aren't I always?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?"

Shinichi paused and backtracked. "I guess not. But don't worry."

"And that's when I worry the most," Ran said dryly. "Never mind, at least everyone knows KID is strictly nonviolent."

So everyone knew, did they? And that was the strange thing, wasn't it? Shinichi mused. Why were the police so bent on catching this particular thief when he never hurt anyone and returned everything he stole? He would have thought they'd have better things to do with their time and resources. But then maybe it was simply the principle of the thing since, when all was said and done, KID was still a criminal. They couldn't just sit back and watch him commit crimes. It would make a mockery of the justice system.

Folding the newspapers on the table, Shinichi finished his coffee in a contemplative daze and stood up. Well, Ekoda wasn't going to explore itself. He'd only just moved into the district, so taking a look around it was pretty much a must as a journalist. He'd worry about the heist when it was time. Besides, he had a few things to check up on if he wanted to confirm his suspicions about the thief's pre-heist riddle.

.

"Ow!" Shinichi jerked away from the police officer who had just seized his cheeks and proceeded to try to pull his face off. Rubbing at the abused skin, he glared. "What was that for?"

"Sorry, sir, it's standard procedure. We have to be sure that you're not KID in disguise."

"So this is going to happen _ever_y time?"

"I'm afraid so."

Shinichi rubbed at his aching cheeks, grimacing. Well that was just wonderful.

The moment he stepped into the vaulted chamber that contained the display said to be KID's target for the night, he was greeted by a half accusing, half demanding bellow. "Who the hell are you? I thought I told everyone to keep you nosy journalists outside!"

Shinichi frowned at the insult but chose to ignore it. He couldn't really deny that he was nosy in any case. Instead, he nodded to the man and said, "I'm Kudou Shinichi from _Moon Watc_h. And you would be Inspector Nakamori, right?"

The inspector stopped in his tracks, realization dawning—though it didn't change his expression for the better. "Oh, so _you'r_e the new one she sent over, are you? In that case, just stay out of the way then and keep out of trouble."

Warning delivered, the man strode off to shout more orders at his men, muttering under his breath as he went about rich people's daughters who had no better things to invest in with their time, not to mention nosy reporters who were more interested in selling papers than law enforcement.

"Is he like that with everyone?" Shinichi asked as Hakuba joined him by the wall.

The blonde shrugged. "For the most part, yes. You get used to it."

"…Hakuba, why are you carrying four cameras?"

"In case something happens to one of them," the blonde said, glowering around the room as though expecting an attack at any moment. "I told you, he doesn't like me."

"Right…" Shinichi shook his head. What had he gotten himself into? This felt more like a madhouse than a police operation.

Still, he couldn't deny the crackle of excitement that seemed to pervade the atmosphere, especially as the clock ticked closer to midnight. The roar of the fans outside grew hushed in anticipation and the tension inside the museum was almost palpable. The officers all stationed themselves at their appointed spots and surveyed everything around them with a suspicion that Shinichi might have found funny if he hadn't read up on the thief's history. By the time the clock tower in the distance began to chime, the museum and the area around it was enveloped in eerie silence—the silence of hundreds, maybe even thousands of people holding their breaths.

_One ring, two… three… _

Shinichi found himself counting each toll of the bell in his head and he had the distinct feeling that everyone else present was doing the same.

_Nine, ten, eleven… _

The twelfth and final ring was met with held breaths, and as the last echoes of it faded away, all the lights went out and a spotlight lit up a figure dressed all in white standing on the sill of one of the great museum windows.

Despite the fact that the thief had just appeared before them, nobody moved as though held spellbound by his sudden, startlingly bright appearance. With all eyes on him, the thief held his hands out in a gesture of welcome.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he called out, his voice cutting clearly over the quiet. "Thank you all for joining me tonight. Please, do enjoy the show."

And he bowed and disappeared.

With the darkening of the spotlight, everything burst into chaos.

"Get the damn lights back on!" the inspector was bellowing furiously at his men. "Why hasn't the backup generator started?"

Then the lights flickered on and the room was full of doves. When the flurry of white feathers finally cleared, their owners lining up upon every available surface in the exhibit, the thief was suddenly standing on top of the display case that held that night's target.

"My, my," he mused aloud in the momentary dead silence, "this is quite a reception. I see that we have some new faces today. Welcome to my heist. I hope you enjoy the performance."

He gave them an elaborate bow, sweeping his cloak forward. As he straightened and his cloak fell back into place, all eyes immediately noticed that the jewel that had been in the case before the white fabric obscured it had vanished.

As if on cue, Inspector Nakamori seemed to unfreeze and bellowed, "Get him!"

Then chaos erupted in the room. Shinichi was torn between taking notes and struggling not to get trampled in the sudden rush of activity. Everyone was shouting and officers lunged for the thief, who only laughed and evaded them with an ease that was quickly turning the inspector's face red with anger and annoyance. Shinichi wondered if he should give the man some time to cool off before trying to interview him later. Then again, he wasn't sure the inspector ever lost that irritated streak where KID was concerned.

Making a few observations in his notebook, Shinichi glanced at his watch. Almost time, he thought. He tucked the notebook under his arm and slipped away through one of the side doors that he had marked out earlier. The officers barely gave him a second glance, more preoccupied with the unfolding disaster than one quiet reporter. Shinichi wondered if they realized that KID wasn't even in the room anymore. Probably not, or they wouldn't still be milling about in there.

Making his way through the press of people outside was much tougher. Hakuba hadn't been kidding. He could hardly believe the sheer number of citizens who had gathered here to be a part of the audience, many of them waving KID signs and screaming their support. Finally though, Shinichi struggled free of the crowd and stepped through the doors of a nearby hotel building. He took the elevator up to the top floor then hurried up the stairs that led out onto the roof, emerging from the door at the end with a squeak of slightly rusted hinges.

He was alone.

Unperturbed by this, Shinichi went to stand at the railing, surveying the dark skies as he waited.

The journalist didn't have to wait long. The first sound that came to him was the near silent rustle of fabric. Feeling suddenly just a bit nervous, Shinichi turned his head. He saw the billowing edges of the white cape before he saw the man himself, standing on top of the structure that housed the rooftop door. With the full moon high above them, the white of the thief's clothes seemed almost ghostly, like the phantom that people had named him. Shinichi thought he felt the magician's gaze on him, but it was hard to tell with the shadow of his top hat and the glint of light on his monocle.

A bang resounded in the muffled stillness around them and Shinichi turned back to the heavens above the museum where a shower of silver and gold danced across the darkness. He took a deep breath then let it out again slowly, calming himself down. The thief hadn't spoken or made any moves to approach him or to leave since his arrival, and Shinichi was just fine with that. It meant that he'd been right.

And so they watched the fireworks together.

The spectacular display silenced even the hundreds of people down in the streets, their upturned faces bathed by the play of multicolored lights. KID had obviously put a lot of time and energy into planning it, choreographing the colors and the shapes and the timing. No doubt everybody here tonight would remember this, if they remembered nothing else.

He'd have to make sure to do it justice when he wrote it down.

Abruptly returning to his senses, Shinichi turned to find the thief watching him intently. He'd jumped down to join the journalist on the roof, and was standing a lot closer than he had been before. From this distance, Shinichi could see that the mischief and amusement had gone from the thief's one visible eye, replaced by an unreadable expression.

Shinichi swallowed anxiously under the scrutiny. "What?"

"You watched the show with me," the thief pointed out, tilting his head slightly to one side as he regarded him. "You didn't try to ask me any questions or arrest me or anything."

Shinichi was taken aback. "Wasn't that the point? I mean, I thought the whole reason you chose to make your final escape from here was so you could watch the fireworks too."

And besides, the magician really had done an amazing job on those fireworks. It wasn't every day you got to see a performance like that, let alone for free.

KID considered him for a moment longer then threw back his head and laughed. Taking a step closer to the journalist, he reached out with one gloved hand and grasped Shinichi's chin, turning his head so that they were looking directly into one another's eyes. This close, Shinichi realized that the thief was slightly taller than him. That piercing, indigo gaze was honestly a little unnerving, but somehow, he felt more excited than he did threatened.

And then KID grinned. "You know what? I like you. You can tell Miss Suzuki that I approve."

That said, he stepped past him, leaping lightly onto the rooftop railing. And with a smirk, a wink, and a swirl of white fabric, he was gone.

.

* * *

.


	3. Incriminating Evidence

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed

**Summary**: Aspiring journalist Kudou Shinichi has just received his strangest assignment yet—to report on the doings of mysteriously popular magician thief Kaitou KID. When he set out to make a career for himself, this was definitely not what he'd bargained for. A collection of stories from his not so everyday life.

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi

**WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned **

* * *

**Front Page News**

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

**3. Incriminating Evidence**

"Kudou Shinichi!"

Suzuki Sonoko's screech resounded through the offices of _Moon Watch_ magazine, shrill and grating with a mixture of anger and indignation.

Shinichi cowered in his chair across the table from her. He hadn't really thought his boss was intimidating before, but the dark vibes suddenly radiating off of her were quickly revising that earlier opinion. He gulped. What had he done? Had his last article been that bad? He knew she loved his KID articles, especially since the thief actually took the time to talk to him during or after heists. She'd raved about them often enough. But she'd never really said anything in regards to the other pieces he wrote, mostly on local crimes. Maybe the subject annoyed her, and she'd just never said before?

Slamming both hands down upon her desk from where she stood behind it, Sonoko glowered across at him, managing to look imposing despite her slight figure. "_What happened!?_"

"Uh..." Shinichi swept his gaze around the room in a frantic search for any clues as to what she was talking about.

"This!" His boss jabbed one finger at the thing lying upon her desk.

Reluctantly, Shinichi leaned forward as little as possible in order to see what it was. He swore he could feel the color draining from his face when it finally hit him just what she was so mad about. He'd been... sort of hoping she'd never find out. Of course, now that he thought about it, he supposed that had always been too optimistic. But still, it would have been nice if she could have waited until after he'd come to terms with the entire business himself.

"I..." he started, not sure what he was supposed to say. 'It wasn't my fault' didn't seem appropriate even though it hadn't been, because technically, no one had done anything wrong. In the end, he finally settled for a weak, "I didn't know it was going to happen."

That was true too, although KID was usually very good at that game.

The young woman before him fumed in contemplative silence for a full minute, then finally dropped back into her chair with a huff. Crossing her arms, she leaned back and scrutinized him through narrowed eyes. "Fine."

Shinichi blinked, unsure if this was a good thing or a bad one. "Fine?"

For a long moment, Sonoko didn't say anything more and just stared at him, her expression teetering between envy and determined curiosity. At last, she raised her hand and pointed a finger at him. "I'll forgive you since it appears that KID-sama likes you, but you're going to tell me all the details."

Shinichi really wanted to just die right there. He wished that the ground would just open up and swallow him whole, or some emergency would occur that would force everyone to evacuate the building. Anything to avoid what was bound to be a very, very embarrassing conversation.

.

It had all started because of that month's issue, which had come out just that morning—or rather, it had come about because of the photograph on the front page of that issue. A photograph that depicted a very shocked Kudou Shinichi being kissed on the lips by the infamous and much beloved Kaitou KID.

Hattori whistled as he put down the magazine. "Now that's definitely something you don't see everyday. Makes you wonder if that's why we've cycled through so many journalists. Do you think it's possible that KID's been using Miss Suzuki's magazine as an unofficial dating service?"

"Don't be stupid," Hakuba snorted. "He's an internationally wanted criminal. If he did want a date, I'm sure he'd go about it with his civilian identity rather than his criminal one."

"I suppose, but the female journalists did tend to last longer than the male ones..." The dark-skinned reporter grinned. "I bet poor Kudou's really getting raked over the coals in there. Everyone knows our dear boss is head over heels for that thief."

The photographer made a noncommittal sound in his throat. Quite honestly, his mind was still reeling in shock from the entire fiasco.

A few minutes later, Shinichi all but fled from Sonoko's office to the amused glances of almost everyone on staff that day. He sank into the chair at his desk, now situated next to Hakuba's in the section of the production room dedicated to one Moonlight Magician, and glowered at his blond coworker.

"You took a picture," he said accusingly. That blasted photograph was the reason Sonoko had been hounding him nonstop from the moment he'd arrived at work!

Hakuba shrugged. "Yes, well, that's my job."

There was no way he was going to admit that he'd hit the camera button on accident out of stunned surprise at what he was witnessing on that rooftop. Besides, women all through the city were squealing over the picture and it had definitely led to the sale of a phenomenal number of copies of their magazine, so technically, the staff should be thanking him.

Technically.

Obviously, Shinichi didn't see things that way, but what was done was done and there was pretty much nothing anyone could do about it. So Hakuba wasn't going to spend too much time feeling guilty.

"Why do you think he did that?"

Hakuba and Hattori stared at the black-haired journalist who had dropped his face into his folded arms at his desk. He sounded so lost and confused when he asked the question that they felt a little sorry for him.

"I thought that was obvious," Hattori answered. "The guy likes you."

Shinichi went still and quiet at this. With his face hidden in his sleeve, neither of his coworkers could see the expression on his face. In truth, Shinichi was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the entire incident.

It had been several months since he'd started working at _Moon Watch_, and in that time, he had attended more than a dozen heists—some of them in Ekoda and some of them in other parts of Japan. The magician thief seemed to have taken a shine to him, and would actively seek him out sometimes once that night's target was in hand and he'd stirred the police up into a distracted, frustrated frenzy. He didn't always answer Shinichi's questions—and almost never directly. But nonetheless, he always had something interesting to say, and his many fans didn't particularly care what the exact words were as long as they were his words.

In fact, if Shinichi thought back, he'd probably told the thief more about himself than the thief had told him. KID was good at coaxing him into conversation, which was some feat all in itself, at least if Shinichi were to believe his friends. Really, the journalist had started to think of the thief as something of a friend as well, if one that he only saw on moonlit nights and whose real name he didn't know. Sure, he went to the heists largely because it was an important part of his job, but he'd also started looking forward to them, and it was always exciting when he received a new heist notice.

Maybe that last bit should have clued him in. After all, no one else received personal heist invitations from the Moonlight Magician. And the red roses that he occasionally received from the man, that should probably have been a hint too.

"Hey man, you okay?" Hattori was starting to sound concerned.

The other journalist's reply came halting and still muffled by his arm. "Do you think... he's really... interested in me—that way?"

Hakuba and Hattori exchanged another look. Their coworker was really taking this rather hard, wasn't he? Could he actually...? That wasn't possible, was it? He couldn't actually like the thief back, could he?

Not that it was their place to judge. It was his life, after all, and his sanity.

"I suppose it's hard to say," Hakuba said finally, shrugging. "However, seeing as he did kiss you, I would venture to assume that that is, in fact, the case."

There was another long moment of silence from Shinichi. What he really needed, he decided, was someone to talk to that wouldn't just laugh at him, try to murder him, or look at him with incredulous disbelief.

And so he went home and called Ran.

.

"_Oh, hey, Shinichi. It's good to hear from you. I was afraid Sonoko would have killed you or something." _

"That might have been preferable," Shinichi muttered, wincing at recollections of that particular encounter. It seemed like he spent most of his time at home at his kitchen table these days. Newspapers and magazines lay splayed all over it, though none of them as eye-catching as the all-incriminating current issue.

"_That bad?_" Ran asked sympathetically.

"She asked me if KID was a good kisser."

"_And was he?" _

"Ran!"

"_What? It's a fair question. It's why you called me, isn't it? To sort all this out? I can't imagine who else you would talk to about this. Your parents would probably die laughing." _

"I don't even want to think about what my parents are probably thinking," Shinichi sighed. Gods, could this get more embarrassing?

"_Well, do you like him?" _

Shinichi stared into his coffee mug. He probably should have expected her to ask him that. It was the logical question, except he'd been afraid to give it much thought until that moment. "I... I don't know. I mean, it's not like I actually know anything about him."

Except that he very obviously loved magic, took a wicked delight in deceiving and playing tricks on people, and had a strict, personal code against violence. He also kept tabs on all the people around him, including the police officers who pursued him at his heists, and went out of his way to look after them in his own, odd ways.

"_I suppose not, but you don't sound as disturbed by the idea as I thought you'd be if you really didn't like the attention." _

Shinichi could tell his face was turning red, and he was grateful that she couldn't see him blush from the other end of the phone. Ran knew him too well for his own good sometimes. "He's... well, I guess I do sort of enjoy his company."

"_And it doesn't bother you that he's a thief?" _

Being a rather righteous person by nature, Shinichi would have thought this fact should bother him. But somehow, "Not really. He doesn't actually cause any harm with what he does. I have a feeling he's got good reasons, even though he hasn't explained them to me. And he's really a very good person."

"_A real gentleman,_" Ran sighed. _"Sonoko's said before. In that case, I'm not sure why you're confused. It sounds like you're already halfway in love with the man. If he's serious, which it sounds like he is, I'm guessing you'll find out who he really is soon enough, and you can figure out if you're good for each other. At least I can be sure he'll treat you well and take good care of you." _

"Hey! I don't need someone to take care of me."

"_You just keep telling yourself that." _

"...Thanks."

"_You're welcome._" There was a pause then Ran giggled. _"It was a really cute photograph._"

.

A few weeks later, Shinichi stood on a deserted rooftop a little ways from the site of the heist, feeling slightly apprehensive. Not that it stayed deserted for very long.

"Ah, Shin-chan! I'm so glad you chose to join me. I was afraid you might try to run."

"You know," Shinichi sighed, turning to face the thief, "it sounds really sinister when you say things like that."

"Oh?" KID closed the distance between them with deliberate steps, reaching out to catch one of the journalist's hands. The grin he gave him from beneath the shadow of his top hat sent a shiver down Shinichi's spine. "My apologies then, my dear writer. It was not my intention to frighten you."

"That's not much better." Shinichi shook his head. "Never mind. I just thought I should... should let you know that I don't mind."

He mumbled the last few words and KID stood stock still for a moment, his expression not changing as he processed exactly what Shinichi meant. Then he smiled and Shinichi felt his heart flutter at the fact that it was a genuine smile and not one of the thief's usual smirks.

"Thank you. That's good to know. I was expecting to have to work a lot harder to get a favorable answer out of you."

"There you go again," Shinichi muttered. "Talking like you had so many unspeakable plans lined up."

"But I did. Still do, actually, and probably always will."

"I know, but it'd be nice if you'd at least pretend that you didn't."

KID laughed. He tugged sharply on the hand he still held, making Shinichi stumble forward with a squeak. White-clad arms wrapped around his waist and Shinichi cautiously moved to rest his own hands on the thief's shoulder, glancing up at him with just a hint of excitement tainted with trepidation.

"So what happens now?"

"Now," KID murmured the words against his ear, "life gets a whole lot more interesting. And it's going to start with a meeting that you're going to go to tomorrow afternoon."

.

* * *

**AN**: For those of you who were curious, this is the story (or chapter) that Alaena F.D.'s picture "Stolen Moments".

.


End file.
